The Burning Wheel
by flocksofturtles
Summary: What do the Malfoys do on holidays? A Narcissa centric view of the family beliefs. Complete


**The Burning Wheel**

She almost cried when she set out the honey cakes. This would be Draco's last Litha with them. After this, he'd be at Hogwarts waiting for term results. Narcissa didn't understand why they couldn't send final marks via owl post so the children could be home with their families. Sweet cakes to remind them of the sweetness of life were consumed together as a family over breakfast. Lucius would take Draco through the traditional Malfoy lands, like his father had taken him. Narcissa knew this, though her family had not been observant of all the rituals. Muggles had freed the farmers from serfdom and many of them had abandoned obvious trappings of fealty, but they were all Malfoy lands by tradition and the obligation stood. Later there would be dancing under the stars.

How would Draco learn his lordly duties if he wasn't permitted to observe? Managing people was a skill to be taught and learned by example and by experience. Draco saw the power and the cool facade Lucius presented to the world without understanding the cares accompanying that reward. Lucius would see to it that his farmer and crafters and merchants were all maintained when times were hard. Sometimes that involved sacrifice and hard choices.

Later, as the first barley harvest came in, there was Lughnasadh. She wove the barley stalks into a doll. This was placed atop the unlit bonfire for until after the celebrations had been held. Narcissa and Lucius handfasted a few couples, many fewer than in years past, for the year-and-a-day marriages that were traditionally performed on this day. The world was changing. Many young witches and wizards were scorning the old ways. Today though, was a day for generosity, so she smiled for the happiness of those around her.

The house elves had baked the new grain from the local fields into bread. These loaves were shared with the pixies and fairies and various animals of nearby forests and among the human population. There was early apple cider and new beer from the barley, everyone was drinking the products of the harvest, though she kept an eye on Draco to ensure he only consumed moderately. He would want to be awake for the rest of the rituals later.

Lughnasadh was time for the blessing of the crops, to ensure prosperity through the year. The muggles had thought gods did this, but it was the task of the witch or wizard overseeing the land to enrich the soil and balance what would be taken out with what was put in again. This was the day that Lucius granted loans to all in his demense. All reasonable projects were funded. This was the the holiday for the neighbors. It wasn't like a Lughnasadh in the Black family where they picnicked and fed birds with the crumbs of their loaves and danced to the WWN.

Lughnasadh rituals were the foundation of the Malfoy wealth. From the ground up, Malfoys gave back more than they took and were rewarded by positive finances. It was more than coincidence, but less than deity interfering. Treat people right and they do their best for you. Never take more than you need and abundance follows you. This was true of fame, power, money, food, friends. Narcissa could see how living one's life according to this balanced principle would bring success.

When they went to Diagon Alley for Draco's school robes, she warned him that there would be children from muggle families there and these children would not understand their place in the world. Muggle families never gave anything back to the land that fed them, except the farmers themselves and as such they were constantly scrabbling for more of everything, time, money, fame, recognition, power. Draco was young, he had all those things coming to him as a Malfoy, and she didn't want him corrupted by some niffling little tramp. She didn't want him perverted like the Gryffindors had done to Sirius.

When she and Lucius put Draco on the train September first, she told him they would have something special for Yule but that he must remember his ancestors for Samhain. She sent him some sweets for Mabon, but like most children, Draco did not send many letters. One of the first real letters Draco's owl delivered said there had been no traditional rituals on Samhain, but the school had held a feast. Her lips tightened. Surely if there had been time for a feast, there could have been time set aside for the faithful students.

Draco told them about the mudblooded Granger girl loudly wishing everyone a 'Happy Christmas' on Yule itself. Surely Dumbledore could have arranged to let the school out a day earlier! And how like the girl to be so culturally ignorant. And how like Dumbledore to coddle those mistaken ideas about the Wheel of the Year being outdated and old fashioned. Narcissa grimaced thinking how concerns about the impression the school would make to muggle parents were so negatively affecting Draco and Draco's attitude toward his responsibilities. Muggles were corrupting Draco just as surely as they had Sirius. But then, Lucius and Draco walked down the large staircase, wands alight chanting the ancient welcome to the sun in both Welsh and French. There would be time enough to worry later.

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**Notes:** For Doomspark who asked the question. Thanks to the websites I cribbed holiday info from, though it's considered "common knowledge" their organization helped me a great deal.


End file.
